Topic: Views on NSALG

[pumkinlover]

Our committee has just decided to leave NSALG and go to the AGC UK. due mainly to the huge hike in insurance costs, which particularly hit a small association.
I did not find working with the solicitor they had very easy- he just ignored my e-mails, so when I telphoned months later he said he never used e-mail as it was "unsafe" so I am amazed that he promptly e-mailed Lord Rigby. I realise e-mail is not "safe" for complex or confidential information but OK for general enquires as this was. If he felt they were so unsafe they should not give an e-mail address.
I had a very patronizing reply to a question about taps on allotment sites on another occasion.
However it sounds like Karen Kenny is a star and I am sure there are others like her.
If you are likely to need legal advice over complex issues I would guess they are best to deal with it but as we have a supportive council we have decided to give the other association a try.

[pumkinlover]

I should mention that NSALG and anothre organization (forgot the name) are running a free 1 day course at Walsall Road, Allotments in Birmingham with very full agenda looking at most aspects of allotment management.  It does look a very interesting day, and maybe if they do this sort of thing more often we  may feel they have moved on a bit.
Anne

[tonybloke]

nsalg also do offer the magazine in an electronic format for members

[Squash64]

I should mention that NSALG and anothre organization (forgot the name) are running a free 1 day course at Walsall Road, Allotments in Birmingham with very full agenda looking at most aspects of allotment management.  It does look a very interesting day, and maybe if they do this sort of thing more often we  may feel they have moved on a bit.
Anne

Are you going to it Anne?  That's 'my' site!

[tonybloke]

Just an after thought:  at three pounds a member per year you get all the advice, seeds etc,, a newsletter for every member, and liability insurance at no extra cost if you join the SWCAA.   Seems a better bargain as a national association?  I find it on www.swcaa.co.uk

that would severely increase our association's insurance costs!!

with over 650 members....................................

[pumkinlover]

[/quote]

Are you going to it Anne?  That's 'my' site!
[/quote]

Yes I thought it was!!
Betty I am very tempted-I think your site is inspirational and would love to see it for myself. And to meet another A4A'er!!
I had decided against because I am not able to drive that far, but I have seen there is a train station which looks like it is not too far away.
so yes I will send the e-mail now. Hopefully I am not in bad books too much for our change of allegiance. :-[

[Squash64]

Anne, there is a train station at Perry Barr, then either a 51 or 52 bus will take you opposite the allotments.  The bus leaves from the One Stop shopping centre which is just yards from the train station. Or if you are energetic it is about a 15 minute walk.

I hope you do come, I love meeting A4Aers.  :)

PM me if you need more directions.

Betty

[pumkinlover]

Thanks Betty I have sent the e-mail off. I'll let you know if I need more directions.

Really looking forward to it now.

Anne x

[Unwashed]

Just an after thought:  at three pounds a member per year you get all the advice, seeds etc,, a newsletter for every member, and liability insurance at no extra cost if you join the SWCAA.   Seems a better bargain as a national association?  I find it on www.swcaa.co.uk

Clucking bell, we're being spammed by allotments associations now!

[tonybloke]

Clucking bell, we're being spammed by allotments associations now!

 ;D ;D ;D

[GodfreyRob]

Just a thought but if you buy larger quantities of seeds from somewhere like moleseeds, then split them between you, they work out much cheaper than normal retail anyway.

Our gardening group does this independantly and saves a packet (no pun intended)

[jules2]

I'm sure they do good work in some cases but personally I'm not impressed.

Our Council does not recognise the existence of our allotment society ( which was formed at their request! ) for example they will not talk to us or meet us and say they will only deal with individual plot holders but requests and letters are generally ignored. 

They recently put up rents for new plot holders by up to 600%

My association is already affiliated to NSALG and now the Council has also affiliated

NSALG cannot understand why we are so upset that the Council is allowed to affiliate when

1, they treat us ( who are existing members of NSALG ) with such contempt and,

2 the Council share none of the aims of the NSALG .

NSLAG are not even interested in attempting to mediate on our behalf.

[marcitos]

What I don't like is that if you are in dispute with your allotment committee you are refused help even though, via your rent for the plot, you are paying for membership. If the Committee ask them for advice regarding a perceived problem with a tennant a file is kept on the tennant.

[tonybloke]

What I don't like is that if you are in dispute with your allotment committee you are refused help even though, via your rent for the plot, you are paying for membership. If the Committee ask them for advice regarding a perceived problem with a tennant a file is kept on the tennant.

any particular dispute with you committee?
allotment tenancy agreements are fairly straight forward, with little room for ambiguity, so there shouldn't really be any problems between committee & tenants?

[Robert_Brenchley]

If that happens, it's a sign that there's something badly wrong somewhere.

[DavidW]

Our allotment site is with the NSALG, we believe they give us a huge amount of support. We have just completed  a long drawn out process with the council who wanted to significantly increase our rent, and wanted us to sign up to a tenancy agreement that we did not really agree with. Allan Rees, was absolutely magnificent, with his support in our local allotment meetings and the meetings we had with the local council. The legal support allowed us to reduce our rent to an acceptable level and allowed us to sign an agreement that we all agreed on. Thanks again to NSALG and Allan Rees. We also get our insurance through them

David

[hartshay]

Our allotment association is so new that we have yet to set a fee structure!  As a result we are having to take a very hard look at what the different  national societies have to offer us.   One thing that has become apparent is that due to our local circumstances the vast majority of the fees our members could end up paying would  be for affiliation and various  insurances.  This is of concern to us as we have to convince plotholders to part with their subscription money and for most there will be little apparent direct benefit to the individual member.   (The problem for us is that our plots we have  not had an association for many years and even in past times seemed to have got along well enough without one.)

I know that all the arguments about contributing to the big picture or having support in times of trouble, something I agree with .. at least to some extent.   But I really need some convincimg arguments to put to our people at the AGM on how they will materially benefit.

PS Many seed companies will deal direct with allotment associations, including Kings  (at a much better discount than advertised on the NSALG website)

[tonybloke]

the Kings seeds scheme as well as giving discount to the tenants, also gives discount to the association

[Trevor_D]

Not sure of this year's figure - it was down a bit - but last year we raised £60 for the Society. A nice little earner!

[Kea]

I was surprised to see this thread still going strong.

I would like to say that since starting this thread the NSALG has stuck a foot into the 21st century and now puts the magazine online so we can give our members a password to see it. Now we have more members we get more magazines which we can target at the people who are not online. The King's order was fairly well taken up though it's 'complex'?! order form seemed to be too much for most people and I spent hours sorting it out before sending it off...not one person spotted that they got a discount and one lady ordered 4 potato varieties 25KG of each...fortunately I knew her plot was 1/4 the size of my own and queried that!

As to insurance well last year we paid a small fortune just to run out Flower and produce show this year our insurance will be cheaper and the best deal we could find as well.
Karen Kenny is visiting us next week and will give a talk to interested members.
At my insistance we checked out other associations and found that this was the best choice. The free insurance included with SWCAA was not extensive enough to cover our needs for Association events through the year.
So though I was a bit negative when I first posted regarding NSALG i'm am now much more positive about it's benefits.